How We Created a Vision:People and Process

Process for Creating the Vision

To create a vision for the future of housing and cost of living in Utah, a team of experts gathered over a two-year period to share knowledge and extensively research and discuss options for improvement. Members of the Housing and Cost of Living Action Team were selected by Governor Gary Herbert and Envision Utah to represent a spectrum of professional experience and political affiliations. Team members included developers, legislators, affordable-housing advocates, and other experts from across the state. From 2013 to 2015, the action team met to identify Utahns’ choices related to housing, create scenarios for public input, and synthesize a vision for the future. The process of creating this vision also included the following components:

A 2014 values study

This study was conducted by Heart+Mind Strategies to identify (1) what factors Utahns view as affecting their quality of life the most and (2) the underlying emotions and values tied to those factors. The study concluded that Utahns highly value having good, diverse housing options close to amenities and services, so everyone can afford housing, spend less money on transportation, and live in better, safer communities.

A 2014 land availability and market study

This study was commissioned to determine where housing development is likely to occur and what the mix of housing will be between now and 2050. The primary investigator in this study, RCLCO, took into consideration where vacant land is located, where demand for housing is the strongest, and what types of housing and other development are likely to be needed to provide Utahns with what they want and can afford. To download a complete report of the findings of this study, click here.

The “Build Your 2050 Utah” web app

This app allowed Utahns to identify what housing forms are most important to them and interactively test the effects of certain decisions concerning housing. More than 3,000 people across Utah gave input through the app. The information gathered indicates that Utahns want the following:

Neighborhoods with a variety of housing types.

Amenities like jobs and shopping that are close to where people live.

An array of convenient and affordable transportation options in most communities.

Envision Tomorrow Plus modeling software

Using this software, a variety of population growth patterns were modeled to show what Utah might look like in 2050. These projections differed in how places developed, the amount of land consumed by development, the size of single-family lots, the variety of housing types, the extent of different transportation options, and the extent to which Utah’s urban and suburban areas would create a pattern of mixed-use centers.

The action team used this information to create four different scenarios for the future of housing and cost of living in Utah. These scenarios differed in the variety and inclusiveness of housing options in communities, people’s proximity to public transportation, how close the housing built matches what people and the market want and need, and the proximity of amenities and services to where people live. These scenarios were presented to the public in the Your Utah, Your Future survey in spring 2015, and 52,845 Utahns weighed in.

After receiving public input on the four scenarios, the action team met to frame a vision, including goals and strategies, to achieve what Utahns said they wanted for housing and cost of living in 2050.

Housing & Cost of Living Action Team

Co-chairs

Pamela Atkinson

Community Advocate

Dan Lofgren

President and CEO, Cowboy Partners

Ty McCutcheon

Vice President of Community Development, Kennecott Land

Members

Dan AdamsVice President and Community Reinvestment Act Officer, CIT Bank